Lamezia or Reggio Calabria: which airport to choose

If you go to Reggio Calabria, Scilla or Gerace, it is convenient to go to the Airport of the Strait; if you go to Tropea, it is better to use Lamezia Terme. Lamezia has more flights: in 2025 it recorded 3,049,594 passengers, about three times the 977,984 of Reggio. From Reggio airport, the city center is 4 km away, from Lamezia 129 km. The summary by destination, with distances calculated on OpenStreetMap from the terminal of each airport and rounded, and Trenitalia timetables consulted on 5 October 2026:

Reggio center: choose Reggio. From the Tito Minniti airport it is 4 km and about 10 minutes by car; from Lamezia 129 km and about 1 hour and 30 minutes, almost 2 hours by bus and train.
Scilla: choose Reggio. It is 28 km and about 30 minutes by car; from Lamezia 106 km and about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Tropea: choose Lamezia. It is 59 km and about an hour by car, or about 50 minutes by direct regional train from Lamezia Terme Centrale station; from Reggio 108 km and about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Gerace: choose Reggio, by a small margin. It is 95 km and about 1 hour and 30 minutes by car; from Lamezia 120 km and about 1 hour and 45 minutes. In both cases you need a car or a driver.

Which airport has more flights: Lamezia Terme or Reggio Calabria

Lamezia Terme is the first airport in Calabria for passengers and routes. The 2025 figures of the SACAL Group, which manages the three Calabrian airports, were presented at the shareholders' meeting on 26 May 2026:

Lamezia Terme: 3,049,594 passengers, 12% more than in 2024.
Reggio Calabria: 977,984 passengers, 56.7% more than in 2024.
January-August 2026: 2,394,525 passengers in Lamezia and 665,374 in Reggio. In August 2026, international traffic in Lamezia exceeded national traffic for the first time, with 50.3% of the total.

Flights in winter 2026-27

From the end of October 2026 to the end of March 2027, Ryanair connects Lamezia with 22 destinations, Reggio with 8.

Lamezia, Ryanair: 9 domestic routes (Bologna, Genoa, Milan Bergamo, Milan Malpensa, Pisa, Turin, Trieste, Venice, Verona) and 13 foreign routes: London Stansted, Brussels Charleroi, Frankfurt Hahn, Bremen, Karlsruhe Baden-Baden, Memmingen, Madrid, Krakow, Wroclaw, Budapest, Bratislava, Bucharest and Tirana.
Lamezia, other airlines: ITA Airways flies to Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate; easyJet to Milan Malpensa, Basel and Paris Orly (until 2 January 2027); Wizz Air to Milan Malpensa from 25 October 2026.
Reggio, Ryanair: Milan Malpensa, Milan Bergamo (from 25 October 2026), Turin, Bologna, Pisa, Venice, Parma and only one foreign route, Barcelona. London, Paris, Charleroi and Hahn are not flying this winter.
Reggio, other airlines: ITA Airways on Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate.

Between December and March, Ryanair cut flights at both airports: in Lamezia on 11 routes, in Reggio on 6 (data from Calabria airports as of 5 September 2026). Check the exact day of your flight before booking your accommodation.

Flights in summer 2027

In the Ryanair schedule already on sale, Lamezia has 27 routes, 18 of which are foreign; Reggio has 11, 4 foreign.

Lamezia: in addition to the winter routes, without Bremen, Vienna, Malta, Valencia, Warsaw Modlin, Katowice and Saarbrücken are added. Adding up the published frequencies, there are over 150 Ryanair departures per week. easyJet adds Geneva from 29 June to 4 September 2027.
Reggio: London Stansted, Paris Beauvais, Katowice and Barcelona for abroad, plus seven Italian cities. In the week from 2 to 8 August 2027, there are 48 Ryanair departures. A new domestic route is expected, not yet on sale as of 5 October 2026.

In practice: from Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Romania, Albania and Madrid there is only a direct flight to Lamezia. From London Stansted in summer you can choose both stops; Paris Beauvais is only on Reggio.

How to get there by train from Lamezia Terme airport

From Lamezia airport, a bus takes you to Lamezia Terme Centrale station in 5 minutes, every 30 minutes. The service is called Lamezia Airlink; the stop is on Viale Rodolfo Imbrogno, 50 meters from the arrivals exit. The bus ticket costs €1.80 and can be bought together with the train ticket on the Trenitalia canals: choose Lamezia Terme Airport as your departure. For Wednesday 11 November 2026, the first bus leaves at 5:45 am, the last at 9:15 pm.

To Reggio Calabria Centrale: direct regional trains from Lamezia Terme Centrale take about an hour and a half and cost €10.20; Frecciarossa trains take between 1 hour and 23 minutes and 1 hour and 38 minutes, at €12.90. From the airport, including the bus, it usually takes between 1 hour and 47 minutes and 2 hours and 5 minutes, for €12 with the regional train.
To Scilla: direct regional bus in about an hour, €8.50. From the airport, bus included, from 1 hour and 18 minutes to just under 2 hours, for €10.30.
To Tropea: the direct regional train takes between 50 minutes and an hour and costs €4.70, but on November 11, 2026 there are seven direct trains (5:08, 6:37, 10:46, 13:42, 15:33, 17:40 and 19:41). From the airport, including the bus, it takes 1 hour and 10 minutes-1 hour and 30 minutes for €6.50. The other solutions require a change in Rosarno and take about 2 hours.
To Gerace: two or three changes (train to Locri, then bus) and from 3 hours and 40 minutes to 5 hours and 40 minutes.

The timetables are valid for 11 November 2026: after the timetable change in December, redo your search on Trenitalia.

How to get from Reggio Calabria airport to the center and by train

From the Airport of the Strait a bus takes you to Reggio Calabria Centrale station in 15-17 minutes, about every 30 minutes. On Trenitalia you will find the single bus plus train ticket choosing Reggio Calabria Aeroporto Bus as your departure. The railway station called Reggio di Calabria Aeroporto is about a kilometer from the terminal and has no shuttle: with suitcases it is convenient to take the bus.

To Scilla: more regional bus from Reggio Centrale in 50 minutes-1 hour and 15 minutes, for €4.50.
To Tropea: direct more regional bus in about 2 hours and 15 minutes, for €9.20.
To Gerace: bus, train to Locri and bus to Gerace, from 2 hours and 25 minutes to 3 hours and 50 minutes, from 11 €. On 11 November 2026 the last useful bus arrives in Gerace at 17:55.

How to choose between Lamezia and Reggio based on your flight

Compare the price of the flight with the cost and time of the land journey. For Reggio center, choosing Lamezia you add about an hour and a half by car or two hours by bus and train, plus € 12 per person; for Scilla about 45 minutes more by car than Reggio. For Tropea the opposite is true: from Reggio you add about 40 minutes by car or an hour by train compared to Lamezia.

Arrivals from abroad in winter: Reggio has only Barcelona, Lamezia 13 Ryanair foreign routes. If your departure airport is among them, with Lamezia you avoid the stopover; for Reggio in winter you need a connection in Italy or Barcelona.
You arrive late in the evening: in Lamezia the last bus to the station leaves at 21:15. After that time you need a car or a driver to continue.

Transfer from the Airport of the Strait and itineraries with driver from Lamezia

The Athena ETC transfer from the Strait Airport costs €20 in total for 1 to 4 people and €5 per person for 5 to 8. You can find it on the private transport page.

If you land in Lamezia, Athena ETC organizes tailor-made itineraries with a driver from 2 to 8 people, with price on request. If you arrive by train, there is also transport to and from ports and stations. Once in Reggio, the experiences start from Piazza Indipendenza with round-trip transport: the Scilla Experience (5 hours, from €40), the Tropea and Pizzo Excursion (full day, from €120) and the Gerace Experience (7 and a half hours, from €120).

For the Calabria Christmas Traditions package, with departures in December, arrival and departure transfers from Reggio Calabria or Villa San Giovanni are included. Transport to and from Lamezia Terme is excluded and is organized on request.

How to book with Athena ETC

Athena ETC services are reserved for members: registration is done online from the Join us page. For the transfer from Reggio indicate the date, arrival time of the flight and number of people. For an itinerary with driver from Lamezia write to info@athenaetc.com or call +39 379 14 92 736: the price is on request.

Frequently Asked Questions about Lamezia Terme and Reggio Calabria

What is the nearest airport to Reggio Calabria?

The Tito Minniti Strait Airport: 4 km by road from Piazza Duomo (SACAL indicates 7 km from the center of the metropolitan city). Lamezia Terme is 129 km away.

What is the nearest airport to Tropea?

Lamezia Terme: 59 km, about an hour by car. The direct regional train from Lamezia Terme Centrale to Tropea takes between 50 minutes and an hour and costs €4.70.

Which airport has the most flights between Lamezia and Reggio Calabria?

Lamezia: 3,049,594 passengers in 2025 against 977,984. In winter 2026-27 Ryanair flies from Lamezia to 22 destinations (13 foreign), from Reggio on 8 (one foreign, Barcelona).

How do I get from Lamezia airport to the station?

With the Lamezia Airlink bus, every 30 minutes, in 5 minutes. It costs € 1.80 and can be bought together with the train ticket on Trenitalia, choosing Lamezia Terme Airport as the departure.

How long does it take to get from Lamezia Terme to Reggio Calabria?

By car about 1 hour and 30 minutes for 129 km. By bus plus regional train from 1 hour and 47 minutes to 2 hours and 5 minutes, for 12 €.

How do I get to Gerace from the airport?

By car: 95 km from Reggio, about 1 hour and 30 minutes; 120 km from Lamezia, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. By public transport you need the train to Locri and the bus to Gerace, with at least 2 hours and 25 minutes from Reggio.

Does the Athena ETC transfer also leave from Lamezia?

The fixed price transfer (€ 20 up to 4 people) is valid for the Strait Airport. From Lamezia Athena ETC organizes tailor-made itineraries with driver, with price on request.

Does the Christmas package include the transfer from Lamezia?

No. The Calabria Christmas Traditions package includes transfers from Reggio Calabria or Villa San Giovanni; the one from Lamezia Terme is excluded and is requested separately.

Lamezia Terme or Reggio Calabria: which airport to choose for Southern Calabria